


Still Waters

by BuckyAndDanno



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst Steve, Danny Has A Secret Past, Episode: s10e22 Aloha (Goodbye), Guardian!Steve, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, MI5 Danny, Post 10x22, Presumed Dead, Rescue Missions, Steve Won’t Give Up On Danno, Steve’s Gone, at first, uncle steve
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:14:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25958854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuckyAndDanno/pseuds/BuckyAndDanno
Summary: The call comes in the dead of the night. Danny’s already awake. He barely sleeps now – has been that way from the moment Steve left. His hand reaches for the phone blindly, slipping off the duvet covers and down into the unseen compartment in the wall. His gaze never leaves the swirls of the ceiling.“Silver.”Steve’s in some small village in Namibia, a week later, when his sat-phone gets an unscheduled call.“Commander McGarrett. You are the medical proxy for one Detective Daniel Williams, correct?”
Relationships: Rachel Edwards & Danny "Danno" Williams, Steve McGarrett & Charles "Charlie" Williams Edwards, Steve McGarrett & Danny "Danno" Williams, Steve McGarrett & Grace Williams, Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Comments: 14
Kudos: 93





	Still Waters

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovely people! Yes I have another Danno plot bunny… No, I’m not sorry. This whole story has basically spawned from the boat scene, and then spiralled from there, and I’m super excited. I hope you enjoy it!

They say still waters have hidden depths, but turbulent waters often have a hidden underbelly of their own.

Detective Daniel Williams had been called many things over his time of life; passionate, arrogant, obnoxious, sarcastic… But not one of the people who had said those words would disagree with the fact that Danny was transparent.

What you saw, was what you got.

Arrogant he may be, but that was because he was good at his job.

Sarcastic, yes, but only because he cared so much for those who wormed their way into his heart, and he didn’t do well with expressing emotions.

Obnoxious? Well, that usually had a lot to do with one Steven J McGarrett.

Passionate; most definitely. He loved his family more than words could describe.

These words sounded derisive or cruel, but they suited Danny to a tee, in all of the best ways.

Danny Williams was a man that people could trust and rely on.

Danny Williams was a man of upstanding honour and integrity; the best cop this side of the Atlantic.

In actuality, there were four people in the entire world who knew everything about Danny Williams. Everyone else… simply saw what they wanted to see; what Danny wanted them to see.

Steven J McGarrett was one such person.

McGarrett believed his partner – ex-partner? – to be strong and resilient.

McGarrett thought leaving Hawaii behind him would not have affected Danny to such a violent degree.

McGarrett believed his friend would be right there waiting for him, whenever he decided to return.

McGarrett was wrong.

Daniel Williams may have been born to such name, but he had gone by many over the course of his life. Most commonly, he was called after a precious metal; one known for its malleability and elasticity.

Daniel Williams was, in actuality, a ghost.

For his time in Hawaii, this name was lost to him and anyone who ever knew it. It was a black box lost to the depths of the universe; never to be opened. It was a closed door, locked with so many chains you could not at all tell if the wood beneath was mahogany or beech. It was the past, and Danny would have preferred it to stay that way.

There’s another saying; _be careful what you wish for_. For Danny, it was more like _be careful wishing for something to disappear forever._

It was a little over a month after Steve left that Danny finally decided to quit Five-0. Danny couldn’t stand being in the same place he’d been with Steve for the past ten years, when the man had cut off all contact.

That’s what he’d told everyone else anyway.

He played the man they’d wanted to see; the grieving friend, coming back from near life threatening injuries.

In reality, Danny needed to be anyone other than the man he’d been for the last ten years.

He’d made a single call on his way back from the palace, to a number he hadn’t used in over twelve years, and fell quickly back into old routine like he’d never left at all.

It was simple, perfect, easy.

He hadn’t known that one call would set off a chain of events no-one could have predicted.

He hadn’t known that one call would be what brought Steve back to the islands he’d once called home, and gave Danny everything he’d thought he never could have.

That is, if he survived.

** 19th October 2020: 02.36hrs **

The call comes in the dead of the night. Danny’s already awake. He barely sleeps now – has been that way from the moment Steve left. His hand reaches for the phone blindly, slipping off the duvet covers and down into the unseen compartment in the wall. His gaze never leaves the swirls of the ceiling.

“Silver.”

The single word he receives in response has him sitting bolt upright within a millisecond – “Midnight.”

Snapping the phone shut, he slips silently out of the bed. Black pants, shirt, holster, gun. He’s out of the house in a minute.

The Camaro squeals out of the driveway.

** 2nd August 2020: 17:22hrs **

Somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a large fishing trawler bobs and weaves amongst the waves. In place of a haul of fish, the netted cargo area boasts a single jet ski. On either side, two burly armed men stand guard. Tattoos snake up each of their arms, both themed with black skulls and red flames.

Down in the bowels of the ship, rusted corridors are lined with further armed guards, each directed slightly towards a bolted door at the end.

Through the single door, cuffed to a single metal drainage pipe, sit two individuals; one male, one female.

The male is dressed in an expensive tux, dirtied with rust and sewage from the unkempt room. Dust and blood matts his blond hair, a single long cut trailing through his left brow. The eye beneath is slightly swollen, already half closed in an attempt to protect his already blurred vision.

The woman fares slightly better, though blood also mares her amethyst coloured dress, staining the fabric dark. She’s smirking despite their situation; most of the blood isn’t hers, and she’s proud of that fact.

The two are chained back to back, divested of any weapons or other means of escape.

To the untrained eye anyway.

With a careful look to the door, the woman bends her leg behind and beneath herself, allowing cuffed hands to sneak a thin piece of metal from the sole of her shoe. Slowly, she starts to pick the lock on their bindings, working with the skill of one who’s made such an action many times before.

The door bursts open without preamble.

A burly man is upon them instantly, hitting her with the butt of his gun. She makes no noise, but the metal slips from her grasp.

The man laughs. “You really think we don’t have eyes on you?”

“I think all you’ve done is simply delay the inevitable.” The woman grins, teeth stained red, then spits a glob of congealed blood at his feet. Her accent is British; melodic.

“Everything alright, dear?” The blonde asks, accompanied by a small, knowing smirk.

The woman smiles, even though he can’t see her. “Oh, just wonderful darling.”

The burly man growls at them both, lifts his gun as if to be threatening, and then barges his way back out of the room.

The steel door slams back shut with a resounding clang.

Alone once more, the woman gently moves her jaw, before shrugging as if to say ‘ _nothing broken’._ Then her eyes are reaching behind her, a single finger seeking out the blonde’s hand and poking his palm with her nail.

“How do you suppose we get out of this one?”

She can hear the smirk in the man’s voice as he responds; the assured confidence. “Cairo.”

“Cairo?” Her brow rises just slightly; not quite the answer she’d been expecting.

“Yes, Cairo.”

“You sure you don’t mean Prague?”

The man huffs, confidence dissolving into annoyance and sarcasm. “Of course I don’t mean Prague. If I’d have meant Prague, I would have said Prague. I said Cairo.”

“Cairo it is then.” She sighs softly, rolling her eyes. “Always the most painful ways with you, Daniel.”

Another huff. “Says the woman who flew my kid half way across the world.”

“Just break your damn thumb and get on with it.”

“Yes Dear.” The sarcastic sentiment is followed by a muffled snap, then the quiet metallic snick of handcuffs sliding free. “Ten seconds.” He slips over to the wall beside the door, waiting for it to spring back open.

As soon as it does he’s on the man, breaking his neck with a single movement, then relieving the man of both his gun and the set of keys chained to his belt. In one fell swoop the woman is free, and the blonde has prime position at the other side of the door, taking out the rest of the men who start charging through.

The blonde slides a gun across to the woman, whose aim is impeccable. Together, they reach the upper level of the ship. The woman keeps an aim towards the ladder than leads to the surface, while the man slides into another room, taking out the single guard. He slips in behind a large computer desk, then removes a USB from the sole of his shoe.

“They never check the shoes.” He murmurs with a grin, as the stick begins downloading the entire contents of the computer.

“Five minutes!” The woman yells.

“Yes Dear!” He rolls his eyes, willing the infernal machine to hurry up.

They’re free in two, slipping onto the waiting jet ski. “It’s almost like they wanted us to escape.” The woman comments as they roar out into the deep blue expanse.

“Nah.” The man grins, removing a hand from the steering to press a small button concealed in the palm of his hand. “We’re just that good.”

Behind them, the fishing trawler explodes in a burst of white hot flame and acrid smoke.

** 28th October 2020: 14:12hrs **

Steve McGarrett had always prided himself on his ability to read people.

His former partner, for example, Steve knew by heart.

He knew that his leaving was going to upset Danny, had only done it because he’d thought it was his only option, but he’d been sure his friend would get over it. He’d been sure that Danny would be okay; that Danny would be waiting for him when he got back.

Steve was going back, that much he knew.

The question was only when.

He’s in some small village in Namibia when his sat-phone gets an unscheduled call.

Steve frowns at the pinging device in his hand, answers; “McGarrett?”

“Commander McGarrett.” The voice isn’t one he recognises, and that sets Steve on edge immediately. “You are the medical proxy for one Detective Daniel Williams, correct?”

Steve practically freezes where he stands. Despite the almost unbearable heat and humidity, he feels instantly cold. “Y-Yes.”

“Is it possible for you to come in Commander?”

“W-Where?” Steve wills his voice to sound steady, but he can’t help the fear that seeps into every syllable.

“Oahu Medical West.”


End file.
